Pennsylvania is home to hundreds of volunteer fire companies that rely on fundraisers to pay the bills, but they only can accept cash during these events.

That soon could change if a bill languishing in the state Legislature is approved.

An outdated state law prohibits nonprofits from accepting cashless payments for bingo, raffles and other small games of chance, limiting their ability to raise funds necessary to stay afloat in an increasingly cashless society.

Although most Pennsylvania volunteer fire companies receive some level of funding from their municipalities, they historically have relied on fundraisers to pay ever-increasing utility bills, fuel costs, and the enormous expense of replacing aging equipment to provide protection to residents.

For example, the North Washington Volunteer Fire Department took delivery of a new tanker-pumper last summer that cost just short of $400,000. It is now close to paying off a long-term loan, which helped cover the cost, even leasing a 10,000-square-foot chunk of its auxiliary grounds property to do so.

Lawmakers in the state House passed temporary allowances so these groups could accept payments via Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal, however, never was approved by the state Senate.

State Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-37th, and state Rep. Ryan Warner, R-52th, have reintroduced legislation to update the law, including bills that would allow eligible groups to accept credit and debit card payments for raffle tickets, as well as conduct them online through Facebook Live or another platform. The bills still would enforce the permitting process and require verification that the person purchasing the ticket is at least 18 years old.

Expanding the law to include credit and debit card payments would offer relief for fire companies, which have long warned about a lack of volunteers and financial stress straining operations.

Most rural fire departments in Pennsylvania are fully staffed by volunteers, from chiefs to junior firefighters. Companies across the commonwealth are bleeding manpower.

According to state Rep. Jim Rigby R-71st, a former volunteer firefighter, there were 300,000 volunteers in Pennsylvania in the 1970s. That number has shrunk to 36,000.

More than 80% of the nation’s fire departments are made up entirely or mostly of volunteers, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, volunteers account for 96.8 percent of firefighters in Pennsylvania – the third highest percentage in the country. The national average is 70.2 percent

Take steps so someone is available to respond to your emergency on what might turn out to be the worst day of your life.

As the nation continues to shift from paying for things electronically instead of by cash or check, it seems woefully outdated to not allow our local fire companies to use this fundraising method.

We have a suggestion for the Legislature: It’s 2024, hop on board.

— JG